Inbound Tourists Spending up 6% Between January and November

December 31st, 2012

According to the Tourist Expenditure Survey (EGATUR) drafted by the Institute for Tourism Studies of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, inbound tourists to Spain spent a total of 52.83 billion euros between January and November 2012. This is an increase of 6% over the first eleven months of last year.

The average daily spend in the period rose by 6.6% to 109 euros, while the average spend per tourist rose by 3% to 962 euros.

Catalonia was the region which received the largest volume of expenditure, with over 12 billion euros and a year-on-year increase of 13.1%. The Balearic Islands came second with 10 billion euros and a year-on-year increase of 6%. Third and fourth were the Canary Islands and Andalusia, with 9.66 billion euros (up 4.5% on the previous year) and 7.77 billion euros (up 1.2%), respectively.

British tourists spent a total of 10.72 billion euros in the first eleven months of the year, accounting for 20.3% of the total spending. Spending by German tourists increased by 4.4% to 8.64 billion euros (16.4% of the total). French tourists spent 4.83 billion euros (9.1% of the total and 3.2% less than the previous year), while tourists from the Nordic countries spent 4.65 billion euros (an increase of 8.8%).

The Spanish Government website, La Moncloa, reported that in November 2012, inbound tourists spent a total of 2.97 billion euros (1.1% less than last year). The average spend per tourist shrank by 1.3%, while the average spend per day rose by 3.7%. This reduction can be mainly explained by the fall in spending by countries in Latin America and Germany, whereas the United Kingdom, France and the Nordic countries stood out for their positive contributions to the monthly results.

The United Kingdom posted a significant spending increase of 19.7% in November, thus maintaining the trend seen throughout the rest of the year. The average spend per tourist and the average daily spend by this market also increased, by 14.2% and 16.5%, respectively. The Canary Islands was the region to most benefit from this increase.

Germany on the other hand, posted a decline in spending of 9.8%. The main destination for German tourists was the Balearic Islands, where this decline was most felt. The average spend per German tourist fell by 6.5%, while the average daily spend by German tourists rose by 4.2%.

The Nordic countries accounted for almost 15% of all tourists’ spending in November and posted an increase of 11.6% in the month. This was accompanied by an increase in the number of tourists from this market and an increase in average spending per person. The Canary Islands was the main recipient of this increased spending.

Following a decline in October, spending by French tourists rose by 15% in November (as did the number of arriving tourists). Madrid benefited from the majority of this increase due to the larger influx of French tourists. Italian tourists also increased their spending by 6.1%, thus ending a run of three consecutive months of declines. The regions of Madrid and Andalusia were the main beneficiaries of this growth.

The Canary Islands was the leading recipient of tourist spending in November with an increase of 2.2%, accompanied by similar growth in the average spend per tourist and in the average daily spend. To a great extent, the British market was responsible for this result.

Catalonia received a 1.2% increase in total expenditure, mainly due to the increased spending by German and British tourists. However, the average spend per person and average daily spend by German and British tourists fell in November.

Andalusia generated 16.9% more tourist expenditure than a year ago due to the increased number of arriving tourists and an increased average spend per tourist (up 11.5%). The United Kingdom was the main market responsible for these positive results.

Madrid closed the month with a decline of 11.9% in expenditure, as a result of deteriorating figures from the more distant markets in November. Valencia posted an increase of 2.5% due to spending by tourists from the Nordic countries. The average spend per tourist in Valencia fell, while the average daily spend rose by 10.4%.

The Balearic Islands posted a decline of 17.8% in spending by inbound tourists in the month, which was due to a decline in the region’s main source market; Germany.

Spending by tourists staying in hotel accommodation increased by 1%, while those who opted for other types of accommodation spent 5.5% less.

Tourists who chose to travel with a package holiday spent 7.8% less in November. In contrast, those tourists who did not choose this type of holiday increased their spending by 2.8%. The average spend per package holiday tourist fell, while the average spend per independent tourist remained stable.

Spending by tourists visiting Spain for pleasure (81% of the total) increased by 4.7%, while spending by tourists visiting Spain for business fell by 5.9%. Spending by people visiting Spain for other reasons also fell.